


Fate Loves the Fearless

by In Magic We Trust (pippathewriter)



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Crossover, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Hogwarts, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-09-07 15:03:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8805484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pippathewriter/pseuds/In%20Magic%20We%20Trust
Summary: In an attempt to preserve magical traditions from invasive muggle culture, the Ministry of Magic decides to revive an ancient wizard tournament, but what initially seems like a fun challenge could be the catalyst to what has been brewing beneath the magical world's enchanting surface for years. Can four teenagers change the fate of the world? RotBTD Hogwarts AU. Big Four-centric.





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Harry Potter & Co. never existed in this AU. It uses Rowling's universe only, not her characters.
> 
> Characters from Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks only.

**September 1, 2010.**

Towing a small trunk behind him, he fought his way through the crowd to keep up with the tall, bearded man ahead of him.

"This is it." The man said in a thick Russian accent, stopping so suddenly that Jack nearly bumped into him.

North, he'd said his name was, when Jack had first met him a week earlier. He was a teacher, he said, at a boarding school for special children. _Magical_ children, just like Jack.

As he peered out from behind North's luxurious red coat, he couldn't help the nagging suspicion that the man was about to laugh at him, at the disappointment that was painted across this face.

He'd been expecting something spectacular and magical. Exciting, even. Out of the ordinary, in the very least. But instead, he was standing before two very boring, very ordinary and very anti-climactic trains. He wasn't even sure which one was less exciting, because with their sleek aluminium bodies, they looked exactly the same. They certainly didn't look like the type of vehicle that would stop at a magical school.

Jack glanced between the two trains, an empty, sinking in his gut telling him that his guide was about to announce that this was all a cleverly planned joke.

This was where he were going to laugh and tell him that he couldn't believe that Jack had actually believed him. This was where his social worker was going to appear out of the crowd, give him the sternest of looks and ask if he'd finally learned his lesson about playing tricks on people. And where his foster family was going to show up and tell him they'd finally gotten him back for all the tricks he'd played on them.

And they were going to send him away, like all of his other his foster families had been doing for as long as he could remember.

"After you," the Russian man said, giving Jack a broad grin and gesturing to the brick wall between the two platforms.

Jack regarded him with a puzzled and sceptical expression.

"Is platform nine and _three-quarters_." North said, gesturing to the signs above them that read platform 9 and 10.

Jack took a step forward, his hand stretched out in front of him. But where his eyes told his body he should feel the rough texture of a brick wall, he instead found his hand vanishing into it.

A hesitant grin spreading across his face and with a single step, he felt the magical barrier wash away the last of his scepticism.

"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters!" Professor North announced with an amused chuckle, his wide blue eyes reflecting the wonder around them. Clapping one hand onto Jack's shoulder, he handed the boy a ticket with the other.

His icy blue eyes scanned the train station around him, hungrily taking everything in. The bright red steam engine, the crowds of other children waiting to board the train and the piles of luggage that lay scattered around them, waiting to be loaded.

The _Hogwarts Express._

It was everything he'd ever dreamed.

"Good luck!" North said, bidding Jack adieu before vanishing into the crowd.

As he wove his way through the crowds of people on the platform towards the line-up to board the train, Jack realized that he could tell which families were magical and which were muggles, entirely by what they were wearing.

Children from muggle families were dressed in hoodies and jeans, just like the kids at his elementary school. And the children from magical families, well, they were dressed differently. Like people who had more important things to worry about than the latest fashions. Some even looked as though they'd just stepped right off the pages of a book about medieval times.

A squeal of terror sounded from behind Jack as his body hit the ground, the breath knocked out of him completely. His eyes stretched wide in shock as a speeding trolley barely missed his face.

His lungs aching for breath, Jack stared after the offending trolley as it suddenly spun sideways and toppled over, dumping its' red-haired rider and all of her luggage onto the floor.

Untangling himself from the golden blonde who'd crashed into him, and the pale blonde who he'd knocked down as a result, he muttered an apology. As Jack got to his feet, the girl with the white-blonde hair fled, muttering about concealing something, and nearly sending Jack sprawling all over again as she pushed past him.

"You see, my previous little Flower?" A woman's voice soothed, and Jack turned to find the golden blonde wrapped in her mother's protective embrace. "I've told you a dozen times that Hogwarts isn't a safe place. Are you _really_ sure you want to go?"

"Yes," the girl answered, although she didn't sound terribly sure.

" _Merida!_ " An exasperated woman called across the platform, hurrying over to the site of the trolley accident, followed by man who looked very much like a bear, except for the fact that he had fiery red hair. As they passed Jack, the couple nearly lost their footing and began to skid towards the trolley.

Glancing around at the patch of ice on the cobbles, Jack grinned and held out his hand to catch a falling snowflake. Hogwarts must be a magical place indeed if it could snow _inside_ a train station in _September_.

The brunette woman pulled the fiery-haired girl out of the luggage pile, scolding her in a heavy Scottish accent as another man appeared and rescued a second child – a boy with a mop of brown hair – from the wreckage.

As the girl's parents began to argue loudly with the boy's father, Jack stepped up to the entrance of the Hogwarts Express and handed the man his ticket.

* * *

Standing at the very end of the train as it pulled out of King's Cross Station and began its' journey to the magical school they called Hogwarts, Jack couldn't help grinning as he watched London fade from view.

Hogwarts was going to be a new beginning.

Making his way up the train, he found the majority of the cabins were already full of other students. Who knew there were so many children just like him? He'd never have imagined the world that was hidden right under his very nose.

As he passed the candy trolley, he spied an empty seat and paused in the cabin's doorway. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Go ahead." Answered a wild-haired redhead with what appeared to be a frog's leg sticking out of her mouth. It was the same girl who'd very nearly run him over with her trolley earlier that day.

"Are you eating a _frog_?" Jack asked, half amused, half disgusted.

"A chocolate one, yes." She snatched up a purple package from the pile of sweets next to her and tossed it across the cabin to him. "The name's Merida."

"Jack." He nodded, grinning as he took a seat.

"I'm Hiccup." Said the boy with the mass of freckles and the cobble-shaped graze on his cheek. As Merida handed Hiccup a chocolate, Jack recognized him as the boy that Merida had run over with her trolley.

"Hiccup?" Merida asked, making a face.

"Short for Hindrick, but nobody's called me that since I was a baby."

The trio looked over at the girl beside Jack expectantly, but she was staring out the window as the English countryside flashed by. After a moment, she realized they were all staring at her, and instead of introducing herself, just seemed to shrink into her oversized black robes.

"Whot's yer name?" Merida said with a friendly smile, offering the girl a chocolate frog as well.

She hesitated a moment, but then seemed to give in to the temptation of chocolate and leaned forward to accept the package, her hood falling back to reveal long golden hair. "I'm Rapunzel."

Without another word, Merida tore the wrapper off a second chocolate frog. Hiccup didn't seem fazed, but Rapunzel shrieked and Jack's eyes stretched wide with alarm when the thing sprang out of the package and began to climb up the window.

"I thought you said they were _chocolate_ frogs!" Jack said, inspecting the purple package in his hands.

"They are!" Merida said, pouncing on the window and scooping the frog up in her cupped hands. "Whot, d'ye think Ah'd eat a _real_ frog? Ah'm a Scot, not a savage."

"They're enchanted to move." Hiccup explained, opening his chocolate and popping it into his mouth before it could hop away, as though to demonstrate that it was indeed safe to eat.

"You're _sure_ they're not really alive?" Rapunzel asked, looking nervous as she watched Jack open his and try it.

It _tasted_ like real chocolate, though it was a little unsettling to have it try to hop out of his mouth when he tried to eat it.

"Mostly sure," Merida said with a shrug.

Rapunzel looked alarmed, and held up the package like she was trying to read the fine print. "It's not going to turn me into a frog if I eat it, is it?"

Jack realized that a question like that was probably a good thing to have asked before taking candy from someone who was both a stranger and a witch.

"They've never turned me inta one." Merida said with another shrug, before sitting back to inspect the two very cautious people sitting across from her. "Are ye muggleborn?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "My mother's a witch. We just bake all our own treats."

Merida nodded and turned to Jack. "And you?"

Here it was. The question he always dreaded. The one he always tried to hard to avoid. So many children didn't understand the foster care system. Most times, it was just easiest not to correct them when they mistakenly believed he was just someone's step-sibling.

"I don't know." Jack said with a shrug, seeming to shrink as he leaned against the wall. "I've never met my parents."

Rapunzel gasped. "That's so sad!"

A sullen silence fell over the group; Jack's smile had vanished.

"Uh, my parents are both pureblooded." Merida volunteered, trying to break the awkward silence that had befallen them.

"I'm half and half," Hiccup said. "Somewhere along the line, at least."

As Merida unwrapped another candy, Hiccup raised a hand and gingerly touched the large graze on his cheek.

"Sorry abou' that." Merida said, nodding at the injury on his face. "I didn't mean ta run anyone over with my trolley."

"That's what they all say," Hiccup said, grinning. "Well, at least now I look tough like my dad."

Merida nodded in agreement.

"Maybe I even look tough enough to be put in Gryffindor," Hiccup said. "My whole family has been in Gryffindor for as long as anyone can remember."

"I hope I'm sorted into Gryffindor too," Merida grinned, before turning to Jack and Rapunzel. "What house do you two want to be in?"

"My mother didn't think I was ready for Hogwarts this year, she thought it'd be too dangerous. Mother would want me to be in the safest house." Rapunzel told them, regarding the other two with wide green eyes. "Um. . . which house is the safest?"

"Gryffindor, definitely." Merida said. "It's the bravest house, so if there was danger, there would always be someone around to help you."

"Gryffindor," Rapunzel whispered, as if testing the name on her tongue. Then she smiled and nodded. "Great! What about you, Jack?"

"The funnest one?" Jack said uncertainly, trying to remember everything that North had told him about Hogwarts.

"Gryffindor." Merida said. "My mum was in Ravenclaw and she's no fun at all. But my dad was in Gryffindor and he's loads of fun."

"Let's all be in Gryffindor!" Rapunzel said, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Yay!"

And as Merida launched into a conversation about how excited she was to start flying class, Jack realized that neither Merida nor Hiccup nor Rapunzel seemed to think he was weird for not having any parents.

Perhaps Hogwarts really was a brand new beginning.


	2. The Sorting Hat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring references / cameos from Hotel Transylvania, Snow White, Frozen, Ever After High.

**September 1st, 2010**

Full of enchanted sweets and enthusiasm, the four children made their way off the Hogwarts Express with wide eyes, eager to take in all the sights and sounds and smells of this incredible new world that they were journeying into together.

And for the first few moments, they just stood, mouths agape as they took everything in. Despite the fact that it was just a train station, it still had a very magical quality about it. It looked as though it had come right out of the pages of a book about steam engines. Even the adults helping to direct the students looked liked they'd walked straight out of the pages of an old book.

"First years!" A familiar voice boomed out across the platform, and Jack couldn't help grinning at the sight of Professor North, standing with a large lantern in his hand. "First years, over here!"

"C'mon," Jack said to his friends, gesturing to North. "This way."

They made their way across the crowded platform, and soon found themselves amongst several other lost-looking children, all watching Professor North with interest. As the older students began to clear off the platform and head towards the carriages that awaited them, North gave Jack a clap on the shoulder.

"Good to see you again, my boy!"

Grinning up at him, Jack nodded. "Likewise, Professor."

" _Who's that_?" A whisper came from behind him, and he found Rapunzel looking terribly apprehensive as her wide green eyes surveyed Professor North, who towered above all of them.

"He takes care of the magical animals at Hogwarts," Jack explained, glancing at his other two friends, who both looked less intimidated by North's imposing stature. "And he's the one who helped me get my school supplies in Diagon Alley."

Before Jack could ask Rapunzel why she looked so surprised, North clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, and Rapunzel flinched.

"This way to Hogwarts!" North called out, before leading them away from the train station and down to the shores of a massive lake, the glassy surface black and speckled with starlight. "Two to a boat!"

"Hey mister," a girl with raven-black hair and wide blue eyes asked, her red and black striped socks visible under her robes as she tapped North on the forearm to get his attention, lacking the height to reach his shoulder. "What happens when we get to Hogwarts?"

"Oh dear, yes," a dark haired girl with a pale complexion piped up, putting her hands over her mouth as though frightened. "Stepmother said that the sorting test is most unpleasant!"

"Unpleasant?" North repeated, before giving a great, jolly chuckle. "You wear the sorting hat and it tells you what house you belong in."

"What if . . ." A girl began before her voice cracked and she flinched as everyone turned to look at her. Her pale blonde hair tied back in a tight braid, she fidgeted with one of her blue gloves and Jack recognized her as the girl who'd run away after nearly being run over by Merida's trolley. After a moment, she seemed to find the nerve to speak, although her voice was still timid and barely above a whisper. "What if you don't belong anywhere?"

North's face softened for a moment, and he got down on one knee in front of her, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. When she shied away from his touch, he propped his arm on his knee instead. "Every single one of you has something very special inside, and the sorting hat will know it! If you are here, you belong."

Nodding mutely, she seemed satisfied by this answer. And with that, North got to his feet and began directing them into the boats.

"Well, whot're we wait'n for?" Merida said, nudging Jack with her elbow, before grabbing Hiccup's wrist and beginning to tow him down to the water's edge. But whereas Merida's feet found solid footing as they scrambled down to the shore, Hiccup was significantly less steady, and with a _splash_ , he ended up in a soaked heap of robes in the water.

Rapunzel clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Rapunzel asked, her brows furrowed with concern.

"Oops. Sorry, Hiccup." Merida said, reaching out to him. "Want a hand?"

"Are you always this accident-prone?" Jack asked Merida, laughing. "Or is it just everyone around you?"

"It's everyone else, Ah swear." Merida said, sticking her tongue out at him and giving him a playful shove that sent him sprawling backwards into the nearest boat.

* * *

Still stunned from the impressive view they'd had of the castle from the boats, the first years were whispering excitedly to one another as they made their way up the stairs from the boathouse into Hogwarts School.

A massive castle far more magnificent than any of them had ever imagined, and it looked every bit an esteemed magical fortress. Walking two-by-two as the reached the top of the stairs, their mouths agape as their eyes tried to take in everything at once, Professor North lead them into a room lit by torches that were mounted on the wall.

"I'll take it from here, North." said a stout man with a greying handlebar moustache. Holding a large roll of parchment in his hands, his narrowed eyes surveyed the eleven year olds who were assembled before him, and Jack couldn't help thinking that this professor definitely did not seem as friendly or as welcoming as Professor North had been. As North nodded and continued on through a wooden door on the other side of the room, the new professor cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Good evening Uncle Milton," greeted the girl whose stepmother had told her that the sorting ceremony was unpleasant, giving a cheerful little wave.

"Gwyneira," the man with the handlebar moustache – Uncle Milton – replied with a curt nod, before turning to address the other students. "My name is Professor Grimm, and I am the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts School. You will follow me in single file. When I call your name, you will come to the front of the hall, where the Sorting Hat will be placed on your head. It will call out your house, and you will take your seat among your housemates. Now, if nobody has any questions, follow me."

And with that, Professor Grimm lead them into the great hall, which was even more wondrous and enchanting than they could have imagined. With four long tables stretching lengthwise down the hall, populated with students who were craning their necks to get a look as the long line of first year students followed Professor Grimm to the front of the room. They came to a halt just before the fifth table, which appeared to be on a raised platform overlooking the other four – the teachers table.

Moving to stand next to a small wooden stool with a well-worn and patched witches hat on it, the old hat moved, and then from one of the folds that almost resembled a mouth – began to sing.

' _For centuries this has been my station,  
_ _to the four houses is my obligation,  
_ _to_ _clearly_ _see_ _what lies_ _within  
_ _each student,_ _be they_ _foe or friend.  
_ _To honour the founders of Hogwarts School,  
_ _and maintain the_ _tradition of an_ _ancient rule.  
_ _From Gryffindor who_ _t_ _ook_ _pride in nerve;  
_ _the chivalrous and the brave_ _they do_ _pre_ _serve.  
_ _To Hufflepuff who prized the fair;  
_ _to be diligent and loyal, they do take care.  
_ _To Ravenclaw who_ _se_ _great mind_ _did_ _soar;  
_ _Renown for_ _wit and_ _imagination_ _evermore.  
_ _To Slytherin,_ _whose_ _ingenuity_ _merited_ _reward;  
_ _where_ _ambition_ _and fraternity_ _are_ _always_ _adored.  
_ _T_ _o sort each student_ _in_ _a house of four;  
_ _A_ _Hogwarts tradition, forevermore.'_

After the Sorting Hat's song, Professor Grimm unfurled the scroll of parchment and began to call out names. And as they were sorted one by one, the line-up grew shorter and the house tables grew fuller and more cheerful.

The girl with the blue gloves, "Delle, Elsa", made her way to the front of the room, still fidgeting nervously as she went. Her fears about not being sorted anywhere at all were finally soothed, when after a moment, the hat announced her as a ' _Hufflepuff_ _!_ '

Shortly after came the girl with the red and black striped stockings, "Dracul, Mavis", who became the newest member of ' _Gryffindor_!'

And then, Professor Grimm called for "DunBroch, Merida."

An abundance of red curls bouncing with each step, she made her way across the great hall and took a seat on the wooden stool, where Grimm placed the sorting hat atop her fiery mane.

' _Not Ravenclaw, eh?_ ' An amused voice in her ear gave her a start, and her face flushed red when she realized the hat was talking to her. ' _Where should I put you?_ _There's_ _certainly_ _loyalty and determination here – I imagine_ _you'd do quite well in Hufflepuff_ _._ _But what's this? Raw nerve_ _but also_ _an instinct_ _for_ _self-preservation_ _that's_ _second to none_ _._ _Very interesting indeed._ _I know-'_

' _S_ _lytherin_ _!'_

For a moment, disappointment was painted across her face that she hadn't gotten her father's old house, but as the Slytherin table cheered for their newest member, she grinned and joined them – at least she hadn't ended up in her mother's former house.

As he awaited his turn, part of him wondered if his name would be on the list. Not because he doubted that he was a wizard, but because part of him still wondered if Jack Frost was really his name. It certainly didn't seem like a very real name, and he'd been told as much by nearly everyone he'd ever met at his muggle school.

He'd been found when he was about seven or eight, soaking wet and wandering around without shoes in the dead of winter. He couldn't remember where he'd come from or who he was. The only thing he seemed to remember at all was laughter and the name 'Jack Frost', which was precisely what he'd told Children's Protective Services when they'd asked him.

He'd baffled them entirely. Not only had he appeared out of nowhere with no memory, but nobody had ever reported him missing. And perhaps even more baffling than that, was how despite being soaking wet and shoeless in the middle of the biggest snowstorm they'd seen in years, he didn't get so much as a runny nose from the cold.

How did Hogwarts find young wizards and witches, anyway? And how long did they know about them before they sent out their Hogwarts letters? When had he been chosen? Was it before Children's Protective Services found him on that fateful day?

But his Hogwarts letter had read ' _Jack Frost_ ', hadn't it?

"Frost, Jack."

Perhaps he'd never had another name. Perhaps he'd always just been Jack Frost.

Taking a seat on the stool, he found Professor Grimm's scrutinizing glare studying him as he place the hat on the boy's head.

' _Interesting. Very interesting.'_ Jack couldn't help grinning as he heard the hat's voice in his ear – magic certainly made life a little more intriguing. ' _Ambition, certainly, but also daring. And chivalry._ _You'd certainly do well in_ _Gryffindor or Ravenclaw_ _._ _Independence, yes, but also a craving for fraternity that you would do best to not ignore._ _Hmmm . . ._ _I_ _think i_ _t'd better be-'_

' _Slytherin!'_

And with a grin, he hopped off the wooden stool and handed the hat back to Grimm, before heading over to sit next to Merida.

Professor Grimm's niece, Gwyneira, whose stepmother had told her horrible things about the sorting process, went on to become a ' _Hufflepuff_!'

"Gudrun, Rapunzel."

"Good luck," Hiccup whispered, giving Rapunzel a nudge with his elbow.

"Thanks," She whispered back, hurrying up to the front of the room.

What if she got the wrong house and mother thought she was in too much danger? What if she had to go home? What if she didn't like the house she got placed into? What if she stayed at Hogwarts and mother was lonely? What if she left Hogwarts and her new friends forgot all about her? What if she got the wrong house and her new friends didn't want to be friends anymore? Was she still supposed to hope for Gryffindor, now that both of her friends were in Slytherin?

She bit her lip and steeled herself for the hat, hands gripping the sides of the wooden stool like her life depended on it.

' _Well now, what have we got here?_ ' Rapunzel couldn't help clapping her hands over her mouth to stifle the squeak of surprise when she heard a voice in her ear. She ought to have realized that the hat would talk to her directly; it had sung a song to all of them, after all. ' _Gentle, and determined. And a healthy curiosity too. Yes, you'd certainly be at home in either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. But you're quite resourceful too, aren't you? Yes,_ _I think_ _you'll find your ability to think quickly will be_ _most_ _appreciated in-'_

' _Slytherin!'_

Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Rapunzel slipped off the wooden stool and headed over to the Slytherin table.

Still waiting for his name to be called, Hiccup looked out at the four house tables. Gryffindor was certainly the best house – and he was sure that if he got Gryffindor, it would finally make his father proud. Although Hufflepuff couldn't possibly be bad either.

But what if he ended up in Slytherin, like his new friends? Would his father be disappointed in him then? Or what if the hat put him into Ravenclaw? Had there ever been another Ravenclaw from the Isle of Berk? Would his dad be upset if he were the first?

As much as he liked Rapunzel, Jack and Merida, he hardly knew them. And they certainly seemed like the type of people who would still be friends with him either way.

But would his dad be proud of him if he wasn't in Gryffindor?

"Haldor, Hindrick."

Cringing, Hiccup made his way to the front of the room and took a seat.

"Please put me in Gryffindor, please put me in Gryffindor." Hiccup whispered to himself as Grimm place the patchy old hat on his head. Closing his eyes tight as the hat drooped low over his face, Hiccup continued his whispered prayer. "Please be Gryffindor, _please_ be Gryffindor."

' _You could be great, you know. It's all right here in your head.'_ Hiccup froze at the sound of the hat's voice. ' _Creativity and wit – that would certainly be appreciated in Ravenclaw.'_

"Please be Gryffindor." Hiccup whispered again. "I want to be like my dad."

' _Following in the footsteps_ _of one's forebears is not always_ _the best pat_ _h.'_ The Sorting Hat said in his ear. ' _You have a thirst to prove yourself and a resourceful mind._ _Although you might have made a fine Gryffindor,_ _I think you'll find that_ _another house may suit you just as well-'_

' _Slytherin!'_

Hiccup's face fell. And as Grimm lifted that hat off of his head and shooed him away to his table, he found himself feeling rather bittersweet – he was happy to be in the same house as all of his new friends, but the hat had as good as told him that he'd never be like his father.

* * *

**December 20th, 2010**

With three thick envelopes in hand, Rapunzel hurried to her mother's workshop in her coziest red flannel pyjamas, taking the stairs two at a time. Unaware of the large smudge of purple paint across her cheek, she hesitated by the doorway, watching her mother as she stood over the bubbling cauldron in the middle of the room.

"Rapunzel, you know how I feel about you lurking." Madam Gudrun said after a moment, only looking up from the cauldron to measure a scoop of beetle eyes, which she promptly stirred into the sludgey brew.

"Sorry, Mother." Rapunzel said, dipping her head apologetically.

"What is it, darling?"

"Well, I-I-"

" _Speak up,_ Rapunzel." Mother said. "I find it _very_ annoying when you mutter."

"Sorry, Mother." Rapunzel said again, before straightening her back and taking a deep breath. "Can you send these? They're letters to my friends – for Christmas."

At that, Madam Gudrun froze. And as her mother turned around to face her, clearly displeased, Rapunzel's hopeful smile faltered.

"Rapunzel, you must never write to your friends while you're here. Give me the letters." Madam Gudrun said, moving to stand in front of her daughter. Surrendering her letters to her mother's expecting hand, Madam Gudrun looked down at the three envelopes. "Rapunzel, you cannot write to them. They must _never_ know where we live – I'm sorry, my pet, but it's for your own safety. The world is a dangerous place. You've got to promise me, Rapunzel, that you'll never write to them again."

"But – I didn't say where-"

"It doesn't matter. It's not safe. Do you understand that, Rapunzel?"

"I – I can't even send them those?" Rapunzel asked, her brow furrowed.

Madam Gudrun studied her for a moment, then her expression softened. "Okay, but this is the _only_ time. And you have to promise that you'll _never_ write to them again. _Ever_."

"Okay, Mother." Rapunzel said, wrapping her arms around Madam Gudrun. "I promise. I'm sorry."

"Good. Now, go get cleaned up and then off to bed." Madam Gudrun said, stroking her daughter's hair affectionately.

"Okay." And with that, Rapunzel hurried upstairs to her bedroom.

"Rapunzel," Madam Gudrun said, and Rapunzel paused, halfway up the spiral staircase. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you more."

"And I love you most. Now go on. Bed."

As Rapunzel disappeared into the room above, Madam Gudrun's expression hardened again as she regarded the three letters in her hand with a look of pure contempt. Then, in a rustle of skirts, she swept over to the fireplace.

Without even a moment's hesitation, she began tossing Rapunzel's letters into the fire, one by one, watching them burn with narrowed eyes.

And only when all three letters had been reduced to nothing but cinders, did she make her way back to her cauldron, a frown firmly set on her face.

* * *

**March 17th, 2012**

A smirk plastered across his fair face, he cast a glance over his shoulder as he ducked behind a tree, and raised his eyebrows with surprise. His eyes scanned the slope for his partner in crime, but he was nowhere to be seen – until suddenly there came a small _thud_ from nearby, and Jack shook his head.

Despite his clumsiness and accident-magnetism, Hiccup was surprisingly good at keeping hidden.

" _Hiccup,_ _over here!_ _"_ Jack hissed, peeking out from behind his hiding spot to see Hiccup scrambling towards him. "We have to do this fast – Mer said that North was talking to Professor Scuttle about muggle Christmas traditions like ten minutes ago – I don't know how long we've got!"

"I know." Hiccup said, rolling his eyes. "I was there when she told you."

"All the more reason," Jack said, grinning facetiously. "You know we don't have time for you to keep falling on your face."

"Thanks for that."

"Anytime. Now come on – we need to get those firecrabs to the great hall before North catches us."

Glancing down at his own dragonhide gloved hands and then to Hiccup's, he hoped that what he'd read in the Thornberry's Smashing Guide to Marvellous Beasts was everything there was to know about firecrabs, because he wasn't sure how well Hiccup was going to fare if the beasts could do more than just shoot flames out of their rear ends to defend themselves.

And with that, the two of them sprinted towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest, hoping that the firecrab pen they'd heard the upper year students mention was not difficult to find.

* * *

**September 16th, 2012**

The four of them making their way into the Slytherin common room, they found a moderately sized crowd gathered around the bulletin board. Curious, they made their way around a long, black leather couch and towards the grey brick wall, dappled with the murky green sunlight that had managed to pierce the surface of the Black Lake and reach the frosted underwater windows looking into the Slytherin common room.

As they approached the bulletin board and the crowd began to thin, one of the upper year boys gave Jack a clap on the shoulder. "Congratulations Johnny!"

"It's Jack, actually," he said, as Merida snorted as she attempted to stifle a laugh.

Eyes studying the large piece of parchment that had been hung up on the board, it was Jack's turn to snort with stifled laughter. "Maybe next year, eh, Mer?"

Her cheeks red with a mixture of humiliation and frustration, she guffawed. "Don't let it go ta yer head, Frost. Yer only th' alternate. And they didn't ev'n get yer name right."

"Well, at least _I_ made the team."

"C'mon guys," Rapunzel said, linking elbows with both Merida and Jack and beginning to lead her bickering friends away from the bulletin board. "Look on the bright side – whether you made the team or not, at least you guys can stay on your brooms."

"Okay, let me be the first to say: _ouch_." Hiccup said, joining the human chain his friends had become.

"You already did." Rapunzel said, wrinkling her nose at him. "Before we took you to the hospital wing."

Hiccup was not amused. "As much as I love recalling my fond memories of falling fifty feet onto a grass field, I'm interrupting the very important conversation we were having about Jack making the team and Mer being jealous."

"Ah don' know, Hic, that was a pretty impressive fall." Merida said with a smirk, nudging him. "Ah'm surprised the matron didn't end up having ta regrow yer bones after th' way ye landed."

"You both have a point." Jack said. "Which is surprising, considering how hard Hiccup hit the ground."

"Just so you know, you're all horrible people."

"You love us though." Rapunzel said.

And with that, the four of them made their way to the great hall, in the hopes that maybe there would be some pie or cake at dinner with which the four of them could celebrate.

* * *

**October 29th, 2013**

The fire in the hearth roaring and sunlight still making its way through the Black Lake and into the frosted windows in the Slytherin common room, a distant chiming could be heard as the Hogwarts clock tower struck three in the afternoon.

"C'mon Punzie," Merida groaned, flopping backwards into one of the low-backed chairs by the fireplace. "Ah'm _hungry_."

Rapunzel looked horrified, her voice hushed and desperate. "We can't just _break into the kitchens,_ Merida!"

"It's the middle o' the day." Merida said with an even more dramatic groan. "It's hardly ev'n break'n in. Punzie, Ah was at practice so long tha' Ah missed lunch and Ah'm hungry. _Please_ come wi' me."

"But what if we get caught?" Rapunzel asked, fidgeting with her extraordinarily long braid. "What if we get detention? What if they _write to our parents_?"

"Ah promise, Ah'll tell'm it was all me."

"I wouldn't let you take the fall for me-"

"Ah'm the one askin' you ta go wi' me. It's only fair."

"But-"

"They'd probably jus' give ye a stern talkin' to, anyhow. 'Don' ev'r do it again' and all that."

"Mother would be so disappointed in me."

"On'y if she found out." Merida said, smirking.

Rapunzel cringed for a moment, then relented. "Fine."

Sitting bolt upright, Merida gave a small squeal and clapped her hands together with excitement. Leaping to her feet, she grabbed Punzie's hand and began to drag her out of the common room and toward the kitchens in search of a pre-dinner snack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so in case anyone wants to get upset that they're all in Slytherin, because Slytherin's for bad guys and none of our heroes are bad guys – all four have strong traits that justify them being all four houses.
> 
> However, Slytherin values resourcefulness, cunning and ambition. Self-preservation and fraternity (brotherhood). They also share the values of determination with Hufflepuff and cleverness with Ravenclaw.
> 
> Merida is predominantly self-preservation, because she turned her mother into a bear to get out of doing something she didn't want to do. She does have a recklessness about her that would make her do well in Gryffindor, and determination for Hufflepuff (considering she got her bow when she was a wee baby and practiced for years until she became a superstar archer).
> 
> Jack is normally sorted into Slytherin, but personally, I consider him the least Slytherin-y of the bunch. I think he's very much a Gryffindor. He craves acknowledgement though, which could be attributed in part to ambition and in part to his craving for fraternity. He doesn't join the Guardians at first, but not because he's not interested in their cause. He quickly becomes very protective over Tooth's fairies and when given the opportunity to join Pitch and get the acknowledgement he's always wanted, he isn't interested because although it would give him what he wants in a way, he refuses to settle.
> 
> Rapunzel is honestly the most Slytherin of the bunch. Although it's a trait that Ravenclaw appreciates as well, Rapunzel is exceptionally good at thinking on her feet. Although Gothel is definitely not a good mother in any way, Rapunzel still manipulates her via guilt to get her out of the house so she can go running off with some stranger that she coerces by forcibly taking something of his as leverage. She wants what she wants and for the love of God, do not stand in the way of her getting it.
> 
> Hiccup, like Jack, is an outsider craving fraternity and acceptance. He wants to prove himself and fit in. He knows he's not capable of achieving what he wants through the methods that everyone else uses, so he starts off by building contraptions to do what he isn't physically capable of doing – basically cheating the system. But that's also a very Ravenclaw-y thing to do – the 'this doesn't work the way I need it to, invent something that does' attitude. But aside from being a clever inventor, he's also resourceful, sneaky determined and not above using trickery or coercion to get people to change their minds (such as dropping people from dragons to get his way).
> 
> Also, for anyone questioning my sorting choice for Elsa – she literally spent her entire life working to control her magic and constantly failing, but she still kept trying. If that doesn't show determination and hard work, I don't know what does. Also, yes, while Elsa is creative and artistic with her magic, a big part of Ravenclaw involves accepting yourself for who you are, and that's something Elsa refuses to do until someone else accepts her for it. Her kindness, loyalty and self-sacrificing in an attempt to protect Anna makes me feel like Elsa is a much better fit in Hufflepuff.
> 
> What was your favourite moment in this chapter?
> 
> What plots are you excited to see in the future?
> 
> How do you feel about my unconventional sorting choices for the Big Four?


	3. Everything Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References / Cameos from Frozen, Hotel Transylvania, Disney's Recess, the Magic School Bus and Ever After High.

**August 13, 2016**

She's rather have been anywhere but here. Preferably somewhere out in the open, her hair whipping in the wind as she flew through the glen on horseback or on her broom. Firing arrows at imagined enemies and striking the targets she'd hung from the trees. Or perhaps darting across the sky in pursuit of the quaffle or even the snitch, practising her dives and aerial manoeuvres in the forest, imagining each branch as a part of the match – a rival chaser, perhaps, or a rogue bludger.

She wanted her freedom.

Instead, she was trapped like a bird in a cage. A very _ladylike_ cage, filled with suitors and stuffy upper crust folks trying to strike deals to marry off their _pureblooded_ children.

She certainly didn't think she belonged here.

She didn't even want to get married.

This whole ordeal was rubbish.

 _It's tradition_. Elinor had told her rather sternly. _Your brothers will have their turn when they're of age. End of discussion._

But apparently a very large number of people did want to get married, because the room was quite crowded. There must have been well over a hundred people in attendance that night, and every single one of them seemed to be trying to emphasize their long pureblooded lineages by wearing gowns and robes that looked as old-fashioned as the tradition was.

But, as much as she'd rather have been anywhere else, it was almost bearable.

The room was filled with people who were as stiff as the trees in her glen, and as long as she just imagined that's what they were, she didn't feel quite so trapped. And besides, the bigger the crowd, the easier it was to slip away from her matchmaker whenever she began to approach with young men that Merida could only assume were her suitors.

But at least her mother Elinor hadn't caught on to what she was doing. Yet.

All Elinor ever did was micro-manage every aspect of Merida's life, correcting her behaviour when she so much as _breathed_ in a way that Elinor deemed unfitting for a lady of such a highly esteemed name.

House DunBroch was in the _Book of Gold_ , after all _,_ which listed all the wizarding families who could trace their pureblooded lineage for more than a thousand years.

Ladies had good posture. Ladies didn't participate in duels. Ladies didn't ride horses bareback or use weapons or even play quidditch. Ladies were constantly striving to be perfectly _ladylike_. It was all a load of codswallop!

She'd been doing so well in her little game of cat and mouse.

That is, until she turned to disappear into the crowd and found herself standing face-to-face with none other than her mother, and Elinor did _not_ look happy.

"Merida,"

"Oh, er, hi mum!" Merida said, smiling her most nonchalant smile. "I was just heading over to get some butterbe-erry punch. Berry punch. Would ye like me to bring you some?"

"I'd like you to meet your suitors." Elinor said, inspecting her daughter from head to toe. Frowning, she stepped forward and pulled the band off her braid, combing her fingers through the ends before beginning to re-plait it. "What have you done to your hair?"

Merida sighed with indignation as she recognized a few girls from school witnessing her plight.

Satisfied that she'd managed to make Merida's hair look acceptable once more, Elinor took her daughter by the crook of her elbow and lead her to three young men who were about Merida's age.

"This is going ta be fun," Merida muttered sarcastically as she realized that she recognized all three of her suitors from Hogwarts.

* * *

The Isle of Berk was an old viking settlement. Centuries past, the island had been enchanted with spells to protect both the wizard population from muggle intrusions and the muggle population from the aggression of the territorial dragons that had been plaguing it for centuries.

Hiccup hadn't ever wondered why the wizarding community had never abandoned the settlement; the wizards who settled there were descended from vikings, and the remnants of viking culture could still be seen in their society today.

The citizens of Berk, or Beserkers, as Hiccup had heard them called once, were fierce duellers and even fiercer warriors. Having somehow survived dragon attacks ravaging their villages for centuries, the citizens of Berk were a stubborn and gritty people who never shied away from a fight.

And somehow, Hiccup had been raised there.

Not that he didn't have the attitude. Because he was as ready to kill a dragon as any other citizen of Berk.

Somehow, he just seemed to lack the reflexes, the coordination and the general might, both the physical and the magical, to do so. Only the three most important qualities that had enabled wizardkind's continued existence on the island, and he didn't possess a single one of them.

Which was why he was currently working in a shop on the island. Having run out of the time and patience to babysit Hiccup until he survived to adulthood, Sten Haldor had sent his son to work at Gobber's Wizarding Equipment, where he spent his days polishing cauldrons and patching up tears in dragonhide protective gear.

It was really _very_ thrilling work.

What more could he possibly want from life when he got to sew up work gloves day after day?

Oh, he was definitely living the dream.

And as such, he wasn't paying much attention as he sewed a tear in a dragonhide glove – Berk's main export – until a lithe black shape darted across the back shelf like a shadow and sent a small metal container of floo powder clattering to the shop's stone floor.

Green eyes narrowed with determination, he leaped to his feet, his wand misfiring as it hit the cobbles. Scrambling to grab his wand, he took off after the figure, which moved very much like a shadow as it skittered over the equipment in the back room towards the back door.

On Berk, defending oneself against dangerous beasts was everything.

A horde of doxies would at least get him noticed. Killing an acromantula would definitely get him a girlfriend. A lethifold was an exotic and dangerous beast that closely resembled a black shroud and had a particular fondness for smothering its victims; disposing a lethifold would bring him twice the glory.

Only the best wizards and witches challenged dragons, which were more aggressive on Berk than anywhere else in the world, no matter the age, size or species. But even a very young dragon would definitely get him admitted to Berk's summer acceleration program, which trained young wizards and witches in defence against magical creatures.

A Nandu, a gigantic African leopard creature, was the ultimate prize. Never in recorded history, had a Nandu ever been subdued by less than a hundred wizards at once. Not that he thought the creature he was pursuing might be a Nandu, but the other four were all very valid options.

" _Lacero!_ " Hiccup said, flicking the tip of his wand towards the black creature as it dashed through the back door and out into the open, and finally giving him a clear shot.

And amazingly, the spell not only worked, but actually _hit_ the creature, making it screech with pain as its body tumbled down the stone steps.

"I hit it." Hiccup stated in disbelief, before a mixture of excitement and relief spread across his face. "I actually hit it! And with a new spell - this is going to change everything!"

And with that, he scrambled forward, nearly tripping over a large wooden chest in his mad dash to see his victim.

* * *

Humming to herself, she glanced out the window at the great expanse of horizon surrounding her workshop. Wiping a hand across her forehead, she stepped towards the window and took a seat on the sill, drawing a deep breath of fresh air.

She and her mother had lived in a cozy stone cottage in a secluded gulley for as long as Rapunzel could remember. It was a beautiful cottage in a beautiful valley, full of trees and it even had a small creek running through it, but she couldn't help the curiosity of what lay beyond their serene little paradise, despite all the dangers that her mother had warned her about.

Rapunzels bedroom, as well as the study, were both in the cottage's only tower, which stood three stories taller than the rest of the cottage. Her bedroom was at the very top, and had grand ceilings that she'd been working on covering with a mural for as long as she could remember. The next floor below it was Rapunzel's study, which had a grand east-facing window that had the best views she'd ever seen in her life, save for the windows in Hogwarts' astronomy tower.

But besides the yearly journey to King's Cross Station to get the Hogwarts Express, Rapunzel had never left the gulley. Mother had told her that it was far too dangerous for her sweet flower to venture out into the big wide world, and so she always took care of Rapunzel's school supplies for her.

A sharp _crack!_ brought Rapunzel's attention back to the present, and she turned from the window.

"Rapunzel!" Madam Gudrun called in a sing-song tone as footsteps began to ascend the stairs from the floor below. "Where are you, my flower?"

"I'm in the study," Rapunzel answered, smiling as Erzsebet appeared on the stairs. Opening her arms, she threw her arms around her. "Welcome home, Mother."

The room's temperature, which was quite hot from the potion brewing station she had set up in the middle of the room, was immediately noticed by Erzsebet. "Rapunzel, I don't know how you stand the heat of brewing potions all day, every day, all summer, without fail - it looks absolutely exhausting, darling."

"Oh, it's nothing," Rapunzel said, wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Then I don't know why it takes so long," Erzsebet said in her signature sing-song voice. When the girl's smile faded at the remark, her mother laughed. "Oh darling, I'm just teasing."

She laughed nervously, before taking a deep breath and steeling her nerves. "So, Mother, tomorrow is a pretty big day-"

"Rapunzel, mother's feeling a little run down." Erzsebet said, cutting her daughter off mid-sentence. "Would you sing for me, dear? Then we'll talk."

"Oh, of course, Mother!" Rapunzel said, perking up. Hurrying to the living room, she pulled her mother's favourite chair to her favourite spot to sit, and drew up a small wooden table beside it. As Madam Gudrun made her way over to her armchair, Rapunzel hurried to the cabinet and snatched up several different beauty potions, as well as a set of small crystal goblets.

Pulling up a wooden stool for herself, she began measuring amounts of the different potions into the goblets, starting to hum as she did so. And then, when the potions had been measured, she put the stoppers in the bottles and began to sing an old song about sunflowers.

Erszebet picked up each of the crystal goblets as her daughter sang, feeling the youth flood back into her body with every sip. And with each beauty potion that her mother downed, Rapunzel's song grew faster, until her song ended before her mother's potions were finished.

"Rapunzel," Erszebet said, her irritation evident in her grey eyes.

"So as I was saying, Mother," Rapunzel said, leaning forward and resting her hand on the arm of her mother's chair. Her words came out in a rush, all as one. "Since this will be my last year at Hogwarts, I was hoping you might take me with you to Diagon Alley when you get my school supplies this year."

"You want to go _outside_?" Erszebet repeated. "Rapunzel, I've told you a _thousand_ times already that it's not safe out there for such a fragile little flower."

"But – you said Hogwarts was dangerous too-"

"Rapunzel,"

"-but I survived that! Surely Diagon Alley can't be as bad-"

"Rapunzel,"

"-but I'm finally _of age_ -"

"Rapunzel,"

"C'mon, _Mother-_ "

"Rapunzel! We are done talking about this! You will never see Diagon Alley, _ever_!"

Rapunzel fell silent, her green eyes still stretched wide in pleading. Her mouth slightly agape, she seemed shocked that her mother had raised her voice at her.

And although she wanted to say more, the look on Erszebet's face was enough to make Rapunzel hold her tongue.

* * *

**August 26, 2016**

There were worse jobs, he was sure.

He'd spent his summer working in a muggle ice cream truck, which was a job he actually kind of liked. He got to spend the summers making kids happy as they took full advantage of their summer vacations.

As far as summer jobs went, it was pretty fantastic.

Adults were far too serious about everything. And with each year that went by, he dreaded adulthood more and more. He wasn't ready to trade in pranks and fun times for hard work and deadlines. At least at the ice cream truck, he made kids laugh when he put designs on their ice creams with sprinkles and chocolate sauce. Adults hardly appreciated such things.

Not that children were much better at acknowledging him, mind you. Although, it wasn't for lack of appreciation of his ice-cream decorating talents, but rather, few of them could actually see him over the counter of the ice-cream truck. He was just the mystery ice cream man with the best sprinkle-decorations in the town of Burgess.

As he placed a chocolate-dipped and elaborately sprinkled mint chocolate chip ice cream into the hands of a little boy with brown hair, Jack noticed his boss approaching the food truck.

"Hey, Mr. Loughran," Jack called, giving the man and his wife a little wave before reaching out the concession window and pulling it closed, the metal covering rattling in protest as it was pulled closed for the day.

Jack locked the metal window covering and made his way outside to return the food truck's keys to his boss.

"Thanks for all your help this summer, Jack."

"Happy to help,"

"You know, I was sceptical when Mike told me he was going to give you a job," Mr Loughran's wife said. "What with all the talk around town about you being a troublemaker and whatnot, but it's good to find that even troubled kids can really turn it around if you just give them a chance."

"Tactful as always, Linda." Mr. Loughran – Mike – deadpanned. Before his wife could say anything further, he handed Jack a white envelope. "Here,"

"Thanks," Jack said.

Jack watched the Loughrans got into the ice cream truck and drove away until they turned down another street and disappeared from view. Only then did he turn and begin his walk home. His hands found his pockets, and his right hand brushed around a polished wooden surface.

Absentmindedly, he drew his wand and as he passed a chain link fence, trailed the tip of his wand along the metal, fractals of frost unfurling along the diamond mesh pattern in his wake.

As he turned a corner towards his foster family's home, he opened his last paycheck for the summer, and was surprised to find that his boss had given him a bonus – he'd probably even have enough to buy his very own broom this year. He'd been saving up to buy his very own broom for years.

He smiled.

He was finally going back to Hogwarts, and he might even be going back with a broom at long last.

* * *

**September 1, 2016**

"About time you showed up," Jack teased with a grin as the redhead finally joined them.

"Oh, shove it up yer arse, Frost," She said irritably, glaring at him as she dropped onto the bench with all the grace of a sack of stones.

"Look out," Jack said. "It bites."

"Jack," Rapunzel said softly, raising an eyebrow at him pleadingly. Jack only shrugged in response, as though he didn't know what he'd done wrong.

"What's the matter, Mer?" Hiccup asked. "D'you get named as Head Girl or something?"

 _That_ prompted a derisive snort from the redhead, before she spoke, her voice dripping in sarcasm, "Oh aye, with special recommendations from both Finster _and_ Grimm."

Professor Muriel Finster, the spectacled witch with curly silver hair who taught ancient studies, was about as old as the subject she taught, and about as fun too. She strove for strictness inside the classroom and out – and as Hogwarts' detention warden, 'strictness' was putting it nicely. She was as crotchety a teacher as Hogwarts had ever seen, and for years, everyone had been trying to figure out why she'd decided to become a teacher when she seemed to hate everyone under the age of thirty-five.

Professor Milton Grimm was a stocky, moustached man who taught History of Magic, as well as the deputy headmaster of Hogwarts. Unlike Finster, he didn't seem determined to fill a massive quota of detentions on a daily basis, but he still struggled to rank as one of Hogwarts' favourite teachers. He seemed to have ears all over the castle, and always happened to know what was going on, especially when it came to certain students. Merida DunBroch happened to be one of those students, and as she found herself in detention after detention, Merida swore that he was secretly working for her mother to make sure she acted the perfect little lady.

"Your mother still getting on at you to work harder in class?" Punzie asked, petting her chameleon, Pascal, who was currently perched on her knee.

"If only," Merida said with a frustrated sigh. "Now she's on about _marriage,_ "

"Yuck, adult things." Jack said, for once sounding completely serious as he voiced his agreement.

Merida gave an exasperated gesture towards Jack, as though to emphasize the simplicity of a concept that even Jack could get, before snatching an apple from the pile of treats they had in the compartment and taking a very unladylike-sized bite.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Rapunzel said. "Who knows, you might come to like married life."

"Punz, _really_?" Merida asked, _not_ amused.

Rapunzel held up her hands in surrender. "I said ' _might_ '. I'm just trying to be positive here."

"Positive?" Merida repeated. "Well, Ah'm positive that my life's goin' ta be over if Ah agree ta this marriage."

"Everything will be okay, Mer. You've got a whole year at Hogwarts to figure things out." Hiccup offered.

"On'y thing tha'll change ma fate is if Ah figure out how ta change ma mum." Merida said, before momentarily perking up quite a bit. "Reckon Professor Frizzle would teach me a spell fer that?"

The Ministry of Magic had already done several enquiries on Professor Valerie Frizzle, who firmly believed that to fully understand the art of Transfiguration, one had to experience it firsthand. And so, Transfiguration classes always began with Professor Frizzle turning the entire class into whatever it was they were turning things into that day. As such, her classroom was always stocked with vials of stewed Mandrake, for when it came time to transfigure everyone back into Hogwarts students.

"Merida, you can't just _change_ your _mum_." Rapunzel said.

"Yeah, if parental disappointment were that easy to fix, I'd have already changed my dad for someone who isn't ashamed that their only son is in Slytherin." Hiccup quipped.

"To be fair, Hic, I'm not so sure it's the Slytherin part that he's disappointed in." Jack said.

Hiccup deadpanned. "Thank you for summing that up for me."

"Oh, anytime."

"Come on guys! This is serious!" Merida said, sighing in exasperation. "Ah don't want ta get married."

"Then don't." Jack said with a shrug.

"What Jack means is that you have a whole school year ahead of you to have fun, don't waste it worrying about having to get married." Rapunzel said.

"No, what Jack means is if you don't want to get married, don't get married." Jack said, drawing a frost happy face on the window with his wand. "You don't have to do anything just because your parents tell you to. I know, because I've lived without parental guidance for as long as I can remember and I've turned out fine."

Rapunzel gave him the _look_ , and he shrugged again, before lowering his wand and leaning back in his seat.

"Just focus on the school year, Mer," Hiccup said. "You have to make sure Hufflepuff doesn't win the quidditch cup again. You were both insufferable when they won last year."

"Well at least _our_ house loyalty is unwavering," Jack said, smirking. "I mean, really? _Hofferson_?"

"Never mind, Jack's still insufferable." Hiccup said.

Instead of shooting a reprimanding look at the boys, Rapunzel instead offered an unsure wave at the cabin door. Just outside of their compartment stood a girl in Hufflepuff robes who seemed to be working up the nerve to come in. She seemed alarmed by the fact that they'd all noticed her but instead of fleeing, pulled open the door with a grimace.

"We're almost at Hogwarts." The girl said stiffly, fidgeting with the teal gloves she was wearing with her uniform. "Everyone should change into their robes."

"Thanks Elsa," Hiccup said, before nodding to her Head Girl badge. "Hey, congratulations."

"Oh," She said, seeming taken aback that he knew her name, and giving a smile that seemed forced. "Thank you."

And with that, she quickly backed out of the compartment and shut the door before any of them could attempt further conversation.

Elsa Delle was the shyest girl in their year, no competition. She was probably one of the shyest people that Hogwarts had ever seen. She never spoke to anyone unless spoken to first and always sat as far from her peers as she could manage. She didn't have any friends, and always seemed to disappear between classes.

"Isn't that the ' _Dementor_ '?" Merida asked, not noticing Elsa cringe before moving on to the next compartment.

"Merida, that's not very nice." Rapunzel said, making the redhead frown.

"Whot? I was just askin'." Merida said as Jack stood up to open the overhead compartment, not expecting a lithe black figure to burst forth in a flurry of items and clothes that had been inside their trunks when they'd first put them up there.

Merida swore in shock as Jack's feet were bowled out from under him and Rapunzel almost dropped her wand, before aiming it at the creature like she expected to be murdered.

Quickly jumping in front of the creature, Hiccup gave his friends a sheepish grin.

"I forgot to introduce everyone – guys, this is Toothless."

And he stepped back to reveal a large midnight black cat with wide green eyes, now sitting quite calmly on the bench behind him, looking completely innocent despite the mass chaos now filling their compartment.

"Jings crivens, help ma boab." Merida muttered as she bent down to grab the green and silver tie that had landed at her feet. Holding it up, she shrugged. "Well, at least I won't have ta dig fer it."

"He's so cute!" Rapunzel said, moving Pascal to her shoulder with one hand and offering the other for the cat to sniff. "Hi Toothless – oh, what happened to your tail?"

"Err, that's a funny story." Hiccup said, grimacing momentarily. "Well, not actually funny at all. I may have accidentally hit him with a spell after mistaking him for a dragon. I couldn't save the tail – but I tried, I really did."

"Really, Hic?" Jack asked. "A _dragon_?"

"A _small_ dragon." Hiccup said. "A baby one."

"Poor lit'l gib," Merida said, giving him a quick scratch behind the ear before grabbing a robe that she thought might be one of hers. Then, turning towards the door, she went to pull the curtains down, but found more resistance than she'd expected. "Very funny, Frost."

"What did I do now?" Jack asked, looking over as Rapunzel handed him a sweatervest.

Merida drew her wand and tapped the ice that now encased the curtain, a good portion of the doorframe and even part of the door itself.

"Not guilty." Jack said, using his wand to gesture at the melting frost drawings that were covering the windows of their compartment. "I've been over here the entire time."

"Well, we should probably re-pack our trunks anyway – we can do that while we wait for the ice to melt." Rapunzel pointed out, gesturing to the massive mess around them. A collective sigh came from her three friends before they muttered in agreement and got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I love symbolism and such, in the end of chapter notes, I'll break down my Potterverse AU names for any characters that I've given different names, and why I chose those names.
> 
> Sten Haldor – I know that many Potterverse names are unique and strange, but Stoick Haddock doesn't seem to fit in with that particular type of strangeness. Sten is from an old Norse name meaning 'stone', and Haldor means 'Thor's rock', and is somewhat similar to 'Haddock'. Thor was the protector of mankind, which relates in the fact that Hiccup and Stoick are both chiefs of Berk, and are charged with protecting the people in their village.
> 
> Rapunzel Gudrun – Despite my wanting to keep names as similar to canon as possible, I couldn't get past the awkward flow of 'Rapunzel Gothel' as a name. Instead I chose the German surname 'Gudrun', which means 'god's secret lore', which I thought fit Gothel's keeping the magical flower, and later Rapunzel, a secret. Also, the German origins of the name are perfect, since the Kingdom of Corona was designed with a lot of central European influences and inspiration.
> 
> Erzsebet Gudrun – I was originally going to go with something more obvious, like an M name, possibly with a motherly reference in the meaning. And then I found 'Erzsebet', a Hungarian form of Elizabeth. But my reasons were not the variant's beauty, nor its origins, but rather, the namesake. Erzsebet Bathory was the most prolific female murderer in history; she was a countess who murdered hundred of young girls, and is sometimes said to have bathed in their blood to retain her youth, which I felt fit Gothel's character, especially for a darker AU.
> 
> What do you think of my character names choices?
> 
> And how do you feel about my unconventional sorting of the Big Four?


	4. Back to Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring references / cameos from Monster High, Detentionaire, My Little Pony, the Emperor's New Groove/School and Hotel Transylvania.

**September 1, 2016**

After Hiccup's cat Toothless had somehow managed to release the contents of their trunks across their compartment, they had spent the remainder of the train ride repacking.

They'd barely had time to change into their robes before the train pulled into Hogsmeade station.

But as they climbed the stairs up into Hogwarts School alongside their peers, they couldn't help smiling. Although the school year that lay ahead of them would be filled with homework and other N.E.W.T. prep, it was still good to be back. It was going to be an amazing year of quidditch, duelling and learning how to apparate.

And after that, they'd be sent out into society and expected to start adulting.

But first things first, they had a whole school year to enjoy before they had to start doing that.

And with a flourish of robes, the four of them entered the Great Hall, feeling very much at home as they all made their way to the Slytherin table for the start of term feast and sorting ceremony.

"Hufflepuff's in fer it this year." Merida vowed as she took a seat next to Slytherin's quidditch captain, Cleo Maati, whose glossy black hair hung like a curtain all the way down to her lower back. "Ah spent every spare moment practicing."

"Good, you needed it." Jack said with a smirk, earning an elbow to the side from Merida. Putting up his hands in surrender, he pouted at Cleo. "Captain, she's abusing me."

"I spent all summer devising a new strategy – those brainless badgers won't know what hit them!" Cleo said, ignoring Jack and Merida's squabble as she sent a cool glare at the Hufflepuff table, which their seeker – a rainbow-haired girl named Iris – answered with a grin and a wave, outraging Cleo. "Ugh!"

"Don't worry _princess_ , the snitch is mine this year." Jack promised, grabbing a walnut from a bowl on the table and tossing it into the air to demonstrate his lightning-fast reflexes. "I'll have it in my hand before Dash even _sees_ it. I've got a new broom and everything."

"Oh my _Ra_! What is _she_ doing here?!" Cleo's outrage at Iris Dash seemed to have been found a new target – at the teacher's table.

Their eyes followed Cleo's gaze to a familiar dark-haired witch sitting next to the younger Professor Alcorn.

"Whot's Nefera doin' back here?" Merida asked, regarding Slytherin's former quidditch captain curiously. Merida had always found it a challenge to see eye to eye with the former captain during her earlier years on the quidditch team, but she had never struggled under her strict regime quite as much as Nefera's younger sister Cleo had.

"Ruining my life, _obviously._ " Came Cleo's short-tempered reply, only seconds before a deafening roar silenced the chatter in the great hall.

"LISTEN UP YOU WAYWARD, UNMOTIVATED DISORDERLIES, STRUMMING THROUGH LIFE LIKE IT'S SOME KIND OF MINI-MALL – ZIP! IT! UP!"

The speaker, or rather, the yeller, was an unfamiliar man with a horseshoe moustache and a bizarre eyepatch that seemed to be keeping his left eye from falling out of his head.

"Well he seems friendly." Merida muttered, earning nods of agreement from her friends.

"HEADMASTER GENERAL BARRAGE IS IN COMMAND NOW!"

As Barrage launched into a tirade about discipline, or the apparent lack thereof at Hogwarts, a crackling sound from Hogwarts' main foyer caught her attention. Merida opened her mouth to wonder aloud what the sound was, but the new headmaster beat her to the punch.

"WHAT IN TARNATION IS THAT NOISE?!" Barrage demanded, stepping out from behind the elaborate candle-holder and revealing with a metallic _CLANG!_ that one of his legs was prosthetic.

As if on cue, the entire hall dissolved into chaos as an onslaught of fireworks exploded seemingly out of thin air above them. But instead of showering them in a fantastic light show, the fireworks seemed to set off a combination of dung bombs, stink bombs and slime bombs, which pelted down on everyone in a foul-smelling rain of acid green, inciting absolute chaos in the great hall.

Before anyone had the chance to take cover, nearly everyone in the room was covered from head to toe in stinky, slimy, disgusting green goo.

* * *

**September 2, 2016**

Despite the fact that she hadn't even been back at Hogwarts for a full twelve hours yet, Merida's trunk seemed to have either exploded or thrown up across their dormitory. She'd hung her robes over one corner of her four-poster bed's frame while assorted socks and spare ties littered the floor in front of her trunk.

"Darling, if you insist on keeping your part of the room untidy, I won't say a word," An elegant female voice asked loudly from the foot of Merida's bed. Groggily and with her wild mane a worse mess than usual, the redhead struggled into a sitting position, barely processing the words coming out of her dormmate's mouth. "But, really, must you leave your things strewn across the _whole_ room?"

With one of Merida's crumpled ties and a handful of socks in her hand, Hadara Belle stood at the very end of Merida's open four-poster bed with a frustrated expression.

"Whot time is i'?"

"Seven-"

Merida gave an exasperated groan and flopped backwards onto her pillow. "Ah'll tidy it all later,"

"I really do wish you'd take this more seriously, darling," Hadara said. "I simply don't know how you think with all this mess!"

"Ah said Ah'd do i'." Merida grumbled, pulling the covers up over her head as though hoping it would block out the sound of Hadara's voice.

"Yes, well, see that you do." Hadara said, not sounding thoroughly convinced that Merida would actually do as she'd promised, but dropping the subject.

"Ugh, whot is is _now_?" Merida cried out in exasperation as there came a knock at the door, before calling out in a rather ill-tempered way. "Go away! Ah'm tryin' ta sleep in here!"

"Good morning to you too, Ms. Dunbroch." Said a very irritable Professor Amzy, glowering at them from the doorway, her purple robes accentuating her wire-thin frame in the early morning light.

A small gasp and the rustle of sheets from the fourposter bed next to hers told Merida that Amzy's appearance had definitely gotten Rapunzel's attention.

Professor Earth Amzy was the potions master at Hogwarts and had been for as long as anyone could remember. Her generally cantankerous attitude and tendency to dwell in the dungeons day in and day out had left her complexion looking rather grey, which prompted several students a year to check that she was indeed still a sorceress and not a spectre. After all, she was old enough to have been alive when half the potions she taught had been invented, and had taught most of Hogwarts' current teaching staff when they'd been students themselves. And she was certainly not a professor that you wanted to get on the bad side of.

"I shall notify Headmaster General Barrage that you would have him postpone his morning assembly at once. Five points from Slytherin. And I can assure you that the new Headmaster will be far less forgiving than I."

" _Fine_. I'm up, I'm up." Merida groaned, rolling over and finding herself tumbling off the edge of her bed and onto the floor as Professor Amzy moved on to the next dormitory. "Jings crivens-"

Merida trailed off, drawing in a frustrated breath as she untangled herself from her bedsheets and picked herself up off the floor.

* * *

With an inky black figure perched on one shoulder like some kind of shadow demon, Hiccup made his way into the Slytherin common room with his schoolbag slung over his free shoulder, to where Jack and Rapunzel were already waiting by one of the low-backed black couches. Stifling a yawn, he nodded to his friends and grinned as he watched Jack fix his tie.

After a moment, Merida hurried into the common room with an apple in her mouth, and the four of them headed through the hole in the stone wall and into the corridor, milling alongside the sleepy-eyed crowds on their way to the great hall.

"You have a passenger." Jack said, nodding towards Toothless's perch on Hiccup's shoulder.

"To be fair, I think I owe him." Hiccup said, looking sheepish. "You know, for the whole tail thing."

"Ah," Jack said, not even trying to hide his smirk as Toothless chose that moment to leap off of Hiccup's shoulder and right under Merida's feet, completely bowling her over in the process.

"Ah swear ta Merlin," She grumbled from under a mane of wild curls, as the other three paused to let her up. "Tha' beastie o' yers, Haldor."

Hiccup shrugged, trying not to look too amused by his friend's plight.

"What's the matter, Mer?" Jack asked, grinning. "I thought chasers were s'posed to be coordinated."

"Ah'll show ye coordinated," Merida vowed, her freckled cheeks flushing red with ill-temper. "Ah'm goin' ta knock ye off that fancy new broom o' yers."

Jack snorted. "I'd like to see you try."

Before their argument could go any further, several annoyed hisses from the students stuck behind them reminded them that they were supposed to be on their way to the Great Hall for a very important announcement.

"Whatever this is abou', it'd bett'r be good."

"I'm sure that Headmaster General Barrage called the assembly for a very important reason." Rapunzel said, offering a cheerful smile.

"More importan' than me sleepin'?" Merida said, stifling a massive yawn.

"Evidently." Hiccup said with a shrug as they made their way into the Great Hall and, despite the fact that the hall was still arranged with four long tables, took a seat next to a dark-haired Gryffindor girl from their year. "G'morning Mavis."

"Hey guys!" she greeted them, waving enthusiastically.

"How was your summer?" Jack asked.

"Oh you know, dad wouldn't let me outside because 'muggles will burn you at the stake, bleh bleh, bleh bleh' - same old, same old." Mavis said with a shrug, grabbing a bagel and spreading a generous amount of cream cheese on it. "It's so good to be back! How about you guys?"

But before any of them had a chance to elaborate, a woman's shrill voice pierced the air in the great hall, startling all of them.

"Och, whot is i' now?" Merida asked irritably, her voice muffled as she lifted her face off the table.

Across the room, a Gryffindor boy that they all recognized from their year, Lee Ping, was in the midst of receiving a loud lecture from his mother for having pulled the spectacularly chaotic welcome feast prank the day before, her voice ringing out across the hall for all to hear.

"I think I'd rather have a howler," Hiccup said, prompting nods of agreement from his friends.

A vaguely satisfied look on his face, Headmaster General Barrage spent a good, long moment watching Ping be humiliated by his mother, who also served as Hogwarts Arithmancy professor, in front of the entire Hogwarts student body. Despite seeming especially pleased by witnessing Lee Ping's plight, after a moment, he stepped up to the elaborate candelabra that served as a podium for all of the headmaster's speeches, and cleared his throat.

Professor Ping nodded to Headmaster General Barrage and returned to her seat at the teachers' table, while her son took a seat at the nearest table.

"LOOK AT YOU SLACK-JAWED LAYABOUTS-" Headmaster General Barrage yelled, glaring out at the sleepy-eyed youth assembled before him.

"It's too early in th' morn'n to be shoutin' li' tha'." Merida muttered sleepily.

"Tea?" Rapunzel whispered, offering a mug to the redhead.

"Sure," Merida said, accepting the cup and adding a splash of milk.

"-WILL BE A LAUGHING STOCK IN THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT-"

Merida's tea very nearly came out of her nose. Regarding her friends with eyes that were now wide-awake, she grinned in disbelief. "The Triwizard?"

"They're actually reinstating the tournament?" Rapunzel asked nervously, looking worriedly at her friends, who seemed genuinely excited by the prospect. "It's so dangerous, you guys can't – you have to promise me that you won't-"

"SILENCE!" Barrage screamed, and the chatter that had swelled in the Great Hall upon mention of the ancient tournament ceased instantly. "YOU LAZY BAGS OF SLOP WILL LEARN DISCIPLINE. YOU WILL NOT MAKE AN INTERNATIONAL MOCKERY OF HOGWARTS SCHOOL ON MY WATCH."

The announcement had silenced the vast majority of the students, who were now listening to the new headmaster with rapt attention, and he stated – or rather, shouted – the details of the Triwizard Tournament news.

* * *

With both Punzie and Jack generally unaware of the history and legends surrounding the Triwizard Tournament, save for what they'd been taught in History of Magic, after breakfast, a now bright-eyed Merida dragged all three of her friends down to the Hogwarts library, impatiently trying to get them all to walk faster.

"Guys, this is really unsettling," Rapunzel said, fidgeting with her braid.

"I know," Hiccup said, nodding in agreement. "I've never seen Mer this anxious to get to the library either."

"Ye act like I've never been to the library before."

Jack gasped with feigned shock. "You can read, Mer?"

Merida scoffed and made a face. "Bett'r than you can, Frosty the Snowdork."

"Well, that's debatable." Jack said, before waving his wand and sending a shower of snowflakes over Merida. "And that's _Mr._ Frosty the Snowdork to you."

"Oh, aye?" Merida said, using her hands to shake the snowflakes out of her hair. "C'mon, haven't ye three ever heard of the Triwizard before?"

All jokes aside, Rapunzel was not reassured. "We have, but Mer - wasn't the tournament cancelled in the first place because _people kept dying_?"

"Och, well, yes, o'course. Whot d'ye expect from a tournament in the middle ages?" Merida said, rolling her eyes. "Ah can't imagine they'll let anyone die this time around; we've got lots more healing spells nowadays."

"You're not actually going to _enter_ the tournament, are you?" Rapunzel asked, sounding as though she already knew the answer.

"Well of course I am. Why wouldn't I?"

"You'll get yourself killed-"

"Well, if I die, then I don't have ta get married." Merida said. "You boys are awful quiet. Yer goin'ta enter too, aren't ye?"

"Gee, I don't know, die a horrible, painful death or actually survive long enough to graduate," Hiccup said with a shrug. "I dunno - it's a close call."

"C' _mon_ guys," Merida groaned. " _Eternal_ glory. You heard the new headmaster. And a thousand galleon grand prize."

"What would you even need that for?" Hiccup asked. "Your family has more money than you know what to do with."

"Well it's not fer _me_." Merida rolled her eyes again. "I don't care about the money; I just want to do it because it'd probably be the _least_ ladylike thing I could possibly do this year."

"Sabotaging your own wedding seems like a reasonable reason to enter a contest that could kill you." Jack said with an amused half-smirk.

"Ye can poke all the fun ye like." Merida said. "But don't tell me ye don't plan ta enter too."

When he only shrugged, Rapunzel looked devastated. " _Jack_ ,"

"A _thousand_ galleons, Punzie." Jack said. "That'd be enough to get me an apartment somewhere, maybe even in Diagon Alley."

"But Jack-"

"I'm going to be eighteen in December – that'll make me of age in the muggle world too." Jack said. "I don't even know if I have anywhere to go when I'm done school as it is – my foster family could turn me away as soon as I get off the train. I don't know."

"I'll be completely honest – I'm not sure what's more terrifying: Merida _want_ ing to go to the library or Jack planning for the future like some kind of grown-up." Hiccup said. "What's next – Punzie intentionally disobeying her mother?"

"You getting a date?" Jack suggested.

"Hiccup getting a date with _Hofferson_." Merida corrected. "Tha's how we'd know the whole world's gone topsy-turvy."

"I dunno guys," Rapunzel began. "I'm pretty sure even in the middle of an apocalypse, Astrid would sooner shove a beater's bat-"

"You are not very nice." Hiccup interjected before she could finish her thought. "And for the record, I think Astrid is a wonderful person."

"You must not be though, considering that you've had classes with her for the past six years and she still doesn't know your name." Jack said.

"She probably doesn't know yours either," Hiccup pointed out.

"Maybe not," Jack said. "But I'm not hopelessly in love with her, so that's really a non-issue for me."

As they finally reached the library, Merida hurried towards the shelves, her thumb and forefinger making an 'L' shape under her chin as she hastily scanned the books' spines, looking for a specific title that she knew had information on the ancient tournament.

* * *

As fluffy white clouds drifted overhead, the four friends laid on the grass, staring up at the blue-and-white mosaic of sky overhead. From their spot near the shores of the Black Lake, they could smell the vaguely fishy scent of the lake, drifting up the low hill to where they were laying, and they could hear the chatter of those particularly adventurous first years who'd made their way down to the lakefront and were now whispering and pointing as the giant squid glided along the surface of the lake.

Six years prior, that had been the four of them, bright eyed and full of wonder.

Now, after spending nearly the entire afternoon in the library, researching the Triwizard Tournament at Merida's insistence, they'd gone to relax on the grounds. They'd read about the ancient traditions of the tournament – like some of the most famous challenges and, of course, the Yule Ball, which Rapunzel thought was terribly romantic and Merida thought was just plain terrible. Nothing they read had reassured Rapunzel that reviving the Triwizard Tournament was anything but a horribly dangerous mistake – and if anything, their research had strengthened her convictions on the subject.

A flutter overhead drew their attention to the arrival of an owl as it swooped down and perched on Rapunzel's shin. Sitting up, she reached forward and took the letter from the bird's claws.

"What's that, Punzie?" Hiccup asked, propping himself up on his elbows for a moment.

"A letter from mother," Rapunzel said, gently peeling open the envelope. Her green eyes scanned the page for a moment, before her face fell. "She wants to pull me out of Hogwarts; she's already written to the new headmaster,"

"'Cos o' th' tourney?"

"Yeah,"

"She can't do that," Jack said, running a hand through his hair. "Can she?"

As the owl began to beat its great wings towards the sky and took flight once more, Rapunzel laid back down, a solemn silence falling over the four friends watched it disappear from view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cleo Maati – Cleo from Monster High. Cleo is obviously canon. Maati is a reference to Ma'at, the goddess of law, order and balance, which refers to Cleo's royal status. I love the Nile reference in Cleo's canon name, but I feel like 'de Nile' is too English-ized.
> 
> Hadara Belle – Hadara is Rarity from the MLP:FiM series. Hadara means 'beauty, splendour, glory', which I thought was perfect for Rarity. Especially because one of the generation 1 ponies that Rarity is based on is named Glory. Belle is pretty much canon from her sister, Sweetie Belle, and also works because Belle is a French name meaning beauty, which is a huge aspect of Rarity's character.
> 
> Eartha Amzy – Eartha Kitt voiced Yzma, up until her death in 2008. I found that 'Eartha Yzma' had an awkward flow to it, so I pulled from Yzma's alias from the Emperor's New School – Principal Amzy – for her surname.
> 
> What was your favourite moment in this chapter?
> 
> What plots are you excited to see in the future?


End file.
